Shew. The plot, for this was very promising, however, the book was really long. It was very wordy and many places, and honestly, if it were about 1/3 shorter, the book would be much higher rated in my opinion. The storyline, while interesting, gives way too much will they or won’t they until you reach a point where you don’t care about the characters very much.

There are a lot of things I liked in this book. The initial tension between Hazel and Imogen, and seeing Hazel putting Imogen in her place, was really satisfying. Imogen is aloof and has that goal of getting promoted. Seeing her open up and find her way that wasn't her initial path felt rewarding. Hazel has a prosthetic leg, and it's my first time reading this kind of representation; it's refreshing. And you know what? I hadn't even noticed it on the cover at first. George's matchmaking adds some fun to the mix.

Nevertheless, I didn’t really feel the connection or the chemistry between the characters, especially from Hazel's POV. Imogen wasn't really endearing to me; I didn't really know her besides her ambitions. And sometimes, she didn't really give heartfelt apologies when she should have.

To me, it lacked scenes showing how she really gets close to George, to the point of making her want to move. Sure, we saw her trying to organize his care, making him eat healthy, and him pushing her into Hazel's arms, but what do they share on the emotional side that makes him a true parental figure to her?

Overall, it was a nice read, but it lacked some things to make me more invested.

This book is a really cozy f/f romance that focuses on the sense of community and taking care of each other, and lets the relatioship build up over the course of the book. It's not one of those romances where the leads start sniping at each other on page 1 and by page 5 they are already madly making out - as I said, the book leads you on a journey. I really liked the disability rep, and the opposites seemed, well, opposite enough to make the whole thawing of ice feel rewarding. One more thing that endeared the book to me is that it's set in Australia and not the US or the UK. Always welcome a variety!

4/5, enjoyed myself a lot and would look forward to more books from the author.

Loved the concept, loved the sapphic rep and most importantly the disability rep was super well done! However, the book was a bit too cozy for my taste and leaned towards women’s fiction more than romance. I would recommend to people who like cozy, low stakes books along the lines of Frederik Backmann (I prefer silly, over the top, funny romances to cozy ones, but that’s just a personal preference)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of A Heart Full of Hope. I thought this was a good read! I especially liked the disability representation. The grumpy dog added some comedic effects.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I wish I had enjoyed this one as much as anticipated. It's sapphic and heart felt and the ending DID make me cry.

However, the romance doesn't really get going until 70%, and then it feels rushed because they've spent the whole book sniping or just agreeing that they aren't compatible.

When the spice hits, it's lackluster, luke warm spice. And that's all you get.

I adored George and his role in the book. He was my favorite character. I also love the amputee/disability rep in the book as it's done so well.

I wish this hit better for me, because some moments were really cute but it was very slow and dragged on quite a bit in the middle.

I enjoyed this one though It's not my favourite from Cheyenne Blue (that's switcheroo), but it was still enjoyable. I wasn't super super invested in the romance but I did like them together, however, I really just loved the rest of the story. I liked Hazel and her story as an amputee, her relationship with George, and I just really loved seeing her growth throughout the book.

But most importantly so many bonus points for all the Matildas references!

This is a story about small town Handywoman Hazel who has a prosthetic leg and has learned to do more than a handicap person is expected to do. She’s very self confident and works two jobs to make ends meet. Imogen is business executive, whose uncle lives in the same small town as Hazel. Uncle George is suffering from a broken hip and Hazel is always helping him with small tasks.

Imogene comes to visit to make sure that Uncle George is ok. She immediately suspects that Hazel is trying to get money from Uncle George and confronts her with the accusation. Hazel of course is highly offended and thus begins dislike between them.

Uncle George was my favorite character in the book. His devious matchmaking skills were top notch. And his dog was a big part of the story. I liked Hazel best because of her positive and helpful personality. Imogene was all ice queen and not a happy person. They made an unlikely couple. Which made me find this book hard to fully enjoy.

Blue did a fantastic job with Hazel’s disability it showed her in a completely open and honest way and showed her character strength to overcome her handicap.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Cheyenne Blue returns with another charming rom-com style story with A Heart Full of Hope, set in a small Aussie country town with a couple of independent and relatable MCs, a lovable grumpy dog, and a meddling old man.

Hazel juggles her job as a delivery driver with growing her own handywoman business, though she feels it's progressing too slowly. Determined not to let her prosthesis hold her back, she never says no to helping a friend. So, when her elderly friend George takes a fall and needs extra care, Hazel steps up without hesitation.

Imogen, George’s sceptical niece, isn’t so sure of Hazel’s intentions. Coming in from the city, she wonders what this young woman could want with her uncle. But as she spends more time with Hazel, she finds herself drawn to her in ways she never expected. While focused on ensuring her uncle's comfort, Imogen also begins questioning her own life choices and what truly matters.

A Heart Full of Hope is a delightful mix of friends-to-lovers, opposites-attract, slow-burn romance with a perfect grumpy-sunshine dynamic. Blue infuses the story with just the right tropes for every mood, offering low angst and the steamy moments she’s known for. The story weaves through the lives of Hazel and Imogen, with George and his best mate adding humour and heartfelt moments, making this story both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply touching.

I received and ARC from YLVA Publishing via NetGalley and am leaving an honest review.

This small town romance began with doubts and mistrusts. As a reader, it was fun watching the ice melt as the embraceable characters were able to recognize the truth, realities and goodness in the other.

The center of story centered around George, an elderly man who lived alone with his dog, Chip. When George broke his hip, he needed help. Hazel was 25, an amputee with a prosthesis she called Petunia. She was generous with her time and her heart, always finding time to help him. She also used her skills as a handyman to make his house more manageable as he recovered from his hip surgery.

Hazel’s part time job was as a delivery driver for a local convenience store. She also volunteered at the library on “Borrow a Person days.” Patrons could borrow her for 20 minutes and ask whatever they wished to learn about her, an activity that involved changing prejudices one person at a time.

Imogen, age 34, was George’s niece who also loved her uncle and did what she could for him. She lived in another town, working in a management position, educated, dressing professionally and quite the contrast to Hazel.

When she first came upon the scene, Hazel saw Imogen as prickly, cold and untrusting, but also gorgeous. On the other hand, Imogen wondered if Hazel could be trusted, fearful that she may be trying to defraud him in some way.

Henry was caught in the middle, a wonderful, friendly, outgoing character who saw the good in all. He was actually responsible for instigating the romance as he prodded them both towards appreciating the other. At first I did have a bit of trouble imagining these two opposites together, but Henry was the wise man because the romance did become a lovely and unforgettable one.

This story had so many wonderful moments as Cheyenne Blue always builds great characters. I’ve enjoyed many books I’ve read by her. She also manages to be able to place the reader in the Australian setting. This was mostly true in Switcheroo, but I was also able to get the feeling in this story.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really cute story age gap trope and the first I’ve read as a character that is an amputee. I didn’t realize all that goes into getting ready for bed or for the day an amputee has to go through so it was well researched. It was a happy read.

Sweet, age-gap romance that’s a bit of a slow burn. Small town meets big city with an Australian twist.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. A Heart Full of Hope is out now!

This is a sort of age gap, almost ice queen romance that is fun and enjoyable.
Hazel, a part time delivery driver has made friends with George, an 80 something who lives alone. She does odd jobs for him, spends time with him etc. George has a fall and she raises the alarm and gets him to hospital. etc.
Enter the family in the shape of Imogen the niece (who just happens to be a 30 something lesbian). She comes to visit George and set up care for him which is not straight forward. She is suspicious of Hazel as she thinks she must have ulterior motives for helping George. Imogen relocates to provide longer term support for George and well,
Hazel has a prosthetic leg (Petunia) following a childhood amputation.
There's a lot of information here about the care needed for keeping her leg healthy etc and the impact on Hazel's life.

There is of course an epilogue
And all are doing well - upwards and onwards.
Anyway it all works out in the end

I really liked this book.

A solid 4 stars! I felt myself very invested in the two main characters but especially Hazel. It was nice to see the representation she brought. It was realistic and I feel as if the amount it was mentioned/how it fit into the story was perfect.

I love the epilogue, even though I thought it was going another way(I jumped the gun 😂). I did think the ending was a little abrupt.

4.5 ⭐️
A heartwarming enemy to lovers, slow-burn romance without much drama. It shows us a lot about overcoming challenges, turning bad experiences into positive ones, daring to take risks, and trusting and caring for people we love.

Hazel, a part-time delivery driver and handywoman, is looking after her elderly friend George, who happens to be Imogen’s uncle. Imogen is a businesswoman with big aspirations from Brisbane, who spent her best time at George's place when she was a child. The two women are thrown together after George had a bad fall, and broke his hip, and both were taking care of George. But first, they were clashing, as Imogen doesn’t trust Hazel and thinks she wants to take advantage of her uncle. She can’t believe, that somebody would do all the things Hazel did for George just because she liked this man.

The characters and their bumpy journey is beautifully written by Cheyenne Blue. She did a great job of showing the uncomfortable reality that Hazel had to deal with daily because of her handicap. Hazel is easy to like with her sunny personality, and the biggest heart on earth even as she sometimes struggles with her disability and the resulting disadvantages. She also isn’t sure of her ability to build her own handywoman business. An impressive young woman, who is very much down to earth. At first glance, Imogen is a totally different person than Hazel. A very business-driven woman, who can sometimes make tough business decisions and enforce them. But her mistrust and false assumptions about the people in the small town of Dry Creek didn't exactly make her likable. She first had to lose the stick up her ass and show that she really cares about her favorite relative, before I could warm up to her.

The romance is built up slowly and I liked that they first created a beautiful friendship and intimacy before they allowed their chemistry to burn hot.

I liked the most how much they inspired each other to make important decisions and changes in their lives. And that sometimes it's worth taking a risk, no matter if it concerns your job or your heart.

But I have to say, the secondary character George the matchmaker, and his little dog, Chip the calf-biter with too much personality, almost stole the show.

ARC received from Ylva Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hazel is a handywoman around her town. She also delivers groceries for the local supermarket (not the big chain, if you live in New England think Market Basket not Walmart). She always makes sure that George is last on her deliveries so that she and he can talk as well as her fixing little things for him.

Then he falls. And Imogen, his niece shows up. She seems colder, icy, but, also seems to love George. And so, the two women start getting closer. Very slowly because they're so different. But they do. They both have baggage, although (unfortunately) it seemed like Hazel had significantly more. And it sorta felt felt like there was also the situation that while Hazel had to "grow", Imogen was expected to more like "change" her whole life and who she was. I know I'm probably exaggerating, but, I don't love unbalanced narratives where one side is just always wrong. This didn't end up too much like that, but, it tottered close at times. I did really like the characters, especially George though. He was my star of the book for sure. A solid grounding character for the others.

mogen is asked by her parents to look in on her uncle George, who was injured in a fall at home.
Hazel, his friend who found him, instantly finds herself clashing with Imogen. When a local home care company falls through, Imogen comes out to care for George, butting heads with Hazel.
Complicating things is Imogen finding a local job that brings conflict with Hazel just as they're starting to like each other.
Minor 'huh?' thing: I don't get how suspicious Imogen starts out with Hazel, considering Imogen's best friend in the city works for a charity. There seems no reason to be wary.
Oher than that, good read. I like the heroines, I liked George, and I thought the relationship read well. I was also interested in how the writer handled Hazel and how she was missing part of her leg.
3.5 stars out of 5.

A beautiful slow burn story about how opposites attract. In the beginning, Hazel and Imogene only have one thing in common: Their love for George (Imogene's uncle.) Over time these two beautiful women find that they really do have much more in common. It was fun to read each chapter to find out how they slowly started falling in love. Cheyenne has written a wonderful story again!

Hazel works part-time as a grocery delivery driver and grows her labourer small business the rest of the time. She loves spending time with elderly customer George, whom she's become great friends with over the last few years.

When she finds George has fallen and cannot move from his bathroom floor one morning, she doesn't hesitate to call the emergency services and George's family.

Imogen puts in long working hours as she tries to work her way up the Brisbane corporate ladder when she receives a call that her Uncle George has fallen and broken his hip.

He will need help at home for the foreseeable future, and Imogen arranges to work remotely from his small-town home when home care proves challenging to arrange.

Fate, however, has other plans for them... and it's not long before mutual attraction burns through everything else. But just what does this mean for them with Imogen's job based in Brisbane?

This lovely story is amusing and touches on the reality of caring for an elderly relative and dating while you're an amputee.

The main characters are well-rounded, easily relatable, and enjoyable to spend time with.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

This is the story of Hazel and Imogen, two women who are total opposites on paper but have a few things in common, mainly George, who's about to force them to put their differences aside.

George is Imogen's uncle and Hazel's neighbor. He lives in a tiny town where Imogen spent a few summers as a kid. She's a city girl now and can't stand the thought of living in the country.

Hazel is a real go-getter, despite her physical disability. It doesn't hold her back much, though she might push herself a little too hard sometimes.

George's nasty fall is going to mean Imogen will have to take care of him, though Hazel will also chip in since she's been helping him out a lot lately, with groceries and little home repairs. Now they'll both have to share the caregiving, with the added challenge of George's new mobility issues.

But it's not just taking care of George that's going to bring them together. Imogen's job change is going to really mess things up for Hazel. Although, sometimes bad things happen for a reason.

This has been a story about overcoming challenges and difficulties, about positivity and unconditional love for others. A story of hope in society, something we're sorely lacking these days.